


fish, knives, and everything nice

by valkyrxe



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Doctor!Reader, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, cross posting from tumblr from my account uwu, gang leader! taeyong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 13:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19724851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valkyrxe/pseuds/valkyrxe
Summary: Days were routine with your dog and your new neighborhood, but you didn't know your neighbor was a gang leader next door.





	fish, knives, and everything nice

“Oh my god, Fish! Did you eat my slippers again?!”

You won’t really consider your day-off as a _day of relaxation_ – clearly, it was the other way around.

The one pair of your newly bought flip-flops was now in your dog’s mouth, chewing on its rubbery goodness as one of its straps is almost at the edge of its end.

You pulled the lone flip-flop and sighed, slightly annoyed as Fish’s saliva run down with gravity on your floor. It was probably he needed some attention lately as you’ve been working on consecutive afternoon shifts of five o’clock to two in the morning, sometimes even more with overtime and endorsements. You’re really trying to be understanding, but this has gone too far.

“Fish, I swear to god,” you started, but as you looked at his eyes, the scolding retracted from your lips back to your throat. Large, dark pools of brown stared at yours as if begging – questioning if he did anything wrong.

“Oh no no, baby, it’s okay,” you cooed as you sat to his level, arms wrapping around the soft fur of your beloved golden retriever in its glorious fluff. “I’m sorry baby, but please don’t eat mommy’s slippers again…”

As if he could understand (which you know he does), he licked your cheeks and a soft giggle came out of your lips. He maybe a handful, but at least his company and fluffiness make it worth all.

You unwrapped your arms around his fluffy body and went to get his leash.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

Fish responded with a (happy) bark and started to run in circles in excitement. It was truly inevitable to laugh, and once you caught him you secured the leash around his body, his tail wagging left and right.

“Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

It was past four o’clock when you got back, both you and Fish tired from the stroll. You were fishing the keys to your apartment from your bag and noticed a guy with an ash brown hair sitting just outside your neighbor’s door (which you have never seen), a cigarette between his index and middle finger as he casually scrolled on his phone.

He seemed to notice and acknowledge your presence, nodding to your way with a small smile on his lips.

You nodded back in a silent greeting, trying to at least curve your lips upwards but the scent of the smoke from the cigarette was displeasing your smell. As an advocate to a “smoke-free” world and as a medical professional, at the scent of cigarette smoke, your nose scrunched up – and that’s what you did.

The face of disgust was obviously painted on your face and he noticed it clearly, which caused him to bite his lower lip. He sighed and extinguished the small cig on the ash tray beside him.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he said, clearing his throat.

Fish started barking at him when he spoke, and you shushed him but to no avail. The man simply chuckled and came closer to you and your dog, not minding as if Fish is going to bite him and devour him to pieces.

“He’s so cute,” he said, a wide grin forming on his lips. “So, you’re the one crying at one in the morning huh.”

Fish never stopped barking at him, yet the man looked at you with those brown eyes, and when you thought it was menacing – you clearly thought wrong. It was full of softness and excitement as it bore onto yours.

“What’s his name?”

“Fish.”

He looked at you skeptically, a brown brow raising slowly. “You named your dog Fish?”

“Yeah…I get that a lot,” you chuckled sheepishly.

“Okay,” he shook his head, clearly amused with your dog’s name. “Hello Fish! I bet you’re a good boy!”

Upon hearing his name along with the words: _good boy_ , Fish seemed to settle down and wag his tail and panting in excitement. The man’s hand went over his head and Fish looked at it expectantly, closing his mouth, waiting for his hand to land on his head.

And it did.

He ruffled your dog’s head, much to its excitement. His grin never left his dark lips while he muttered phrases of compliments to Fish.

You took note of what he’s wearing, a black shirt with a print on it partnered with ripped jeans. You noticed the piercings on his ears and a slit on his eyebrows – the latter fascinating your aesthetics.

“Ah, so you’re my neighbor?” You said while he continued to pet your dog.

“I guess…” he replied nonchalantly. “You’re the one next door?”

“I am.”

“So we are,” he laughed, standing up while bowing slightly and extended his arms out to your way. “I’m Taeyong. Nice to meet ya. And Fish, of course.”

You took his hand and shook it lightly, noticing how calloused it was, but not noticing the scars on it with the dim light.

“Nice to meet you as well, Taeyong. I’m (Y/N).”

You broke the contact and bowed lightly to show respect back. “Well, Taeyong, it was nice meeting you. We have to head back now.”

“Oh, sure,” he moved slightly to let you and Fish pass through the narrow corridor.

You and Fish walked pass him and as you opened the door to your apartment, Fish already ran inside while you took a glance back to your newly introduced neighbor.

“See you around.”

“Yeah, see you ‘round (Y/N).”

* * *

The endless PM shifts almost had your circadian cycle broken, and you’re really trying your best to at least do some of the chores during the day when the sun is up – but your body seemed to miss the covers of your bed and the fluff of your dog as always.

Going home at 3 in the morning doesn’t really sound safe as well but staying in the hospital means more work which will cause you to think about Fish – which, will make you lonely.

At those 3 AMs when you’re about to open the door to your apartment, Taeyong would follow – not in a strange way. Rather, you figured that it is also the time where he comes back to his home. When he noticed your presence, he’d only nod and smile in greeting like the first time you met. You return the gesture, although, in those times, it made you curiously wonder what kind of job Taeyong have.

And in those times, you’ve always failed to notice the bruises on the side of his lips and sometimes even a small black eye – courtesy of the dim and others, broke lightning of the corridor to your respective apartments.

* * *

An hour has passed since you came home – and you’re ever ready to crash on your bed when you hear your doorbell rang.

_It’s four in the fucking morning_ , you groaned, mentally cursing at the one ringing the bell.

Oddly enough, Fish doesn’t bark at the door as he just continued to sleep on his bed beside yours.

Your hands flew to the strands of your hair in annoyance, angrily stomping your foot to the door and peeked at who’s standing behind your door.

It was Taeyong, his hand propped on the wall beside your door with his head looking downwards to his shoes.

You opened the door forcefully and when you were about to lash out on him for interrupting your bed time, his body leaned to you – head touching your shoulders for support. Your arms instinctively propped him in support, noticing how ragged and heavy his breaths are. His head was still hung low, and you noticed spots of dark red on his faded white converse sneakers.

“Taeyong? What happened?”

His head just shook in reply, and you shifted your weight to support him properly, putting an arm around his shoulder and letting him lean to you as you guided him to your couch. His body heavily plopped down on the couch, and all the sleepiness from earlier wore off when you looked at his face –

A wound on his cheek with the blood now dried, a bruise on the side of his left lip about the size of a cent, and a black eye.

“Holy shit, Taeyong!” You quickly collected your composure and got your first aid kit on the shelf, dropping it on your coffee table and ran back again to get some ice cubes to put in the ice pack. “What the hell happened?!”

“Nothing serious,” he groaned, and he was visibly enduring the pain. You sat beside him when you finished preparing for giving the first aid treatment – holding his cheek with your hand while the other cleaned the bruises with a warm towel.

“Nothing serious? Really? With all these wounds and bruises and blood? Holy shit, who did this to you?” You told him as you handed him the ice pack which he put over his black eye.

“You’re gonna wake Fish up,” he chuckled weakly, and how you wanted to add another bruise on his face for making a joke while in this condition. The pressure on your hand as you cleaned the bruise got heavier which made him wince. “Come on (Y/N). I’m just joking.”

“Exactly my point!” you blurted, then proceeded to get the betadine from your first aid kit, pouring some on a cotton ball and patting it to the wound on his cheek. “How can you joke at a time like this?”

Taeyong only remained silent but there was a weak smile tugging at his lips as he looks at your furrowed brows when you disinfected his wounds. He had to admit though, he was – knocked down, but it isn’t as worse as before. He didn’t need to tell you that though – he knew it’ll only add up to your worries and he didn’t want that.

Also, you look cute while working on something.

Fish had already moved from his side as you attended to Taeyong, not minding his presence at all. While you continued to attend to his wounds, his hand moved slightly to scratch Fish’s belly which he obviously loved.

After minutes of silence that seemed like forever to Taeyong, you sighed heavily, putting a band-aid over his bruises. You fixed your first aid kit and grabbed for your phone, dialing the polices’ number.

He saw this and snatched the phone away from your hands, ending the call before they could even answer.

“No cops,” he said, a little shaky. Although with a black eye, his dark orbs were glaring to yours – a lion dangerously eyeing for his prey, very different from the kitten eyes he had earlier. He ended the line before someone could even answer.

A shiver ran down your spine along with an audible gulp. He returned your phone back when he noticed your actions and stood up, almost falling back down on the couch if his hand didn’t support himself up by the couch.

“Thanks, doc,” he said hoarsely, trying to avoid your gaze. You only nodded in reply.

Taeyong started limping back towards your door, and before he turned the knob he looked back to your direction, still trying to avoid eye contact with you.

“Best if you don’t tell this to anyone. Especially the cops.”

It was then confirmed in your mind that your neighbor was no ordinary man.

* * *

It has been a few days since the incident, and even though you’re still working on the same time shift, you never saw Taeyong go home. It’s not that you mind, but you had to admit that you kind of miss the smiles and _“good morning, rather good night”_ moments you shared with him.

You heard furious knocks one afternoon, but not towards your door, but to your neighbor’s. You figured that you should tell whoever’s knocking that Taeyong isn’t going home anymore, so you grabbed your robe, hugging it to yourself when the cold air of November hit you when you opened your door.

The one who was knocking was the landlady, and badly drew thin brows were knitted and the wrinkles on her forehead were very visibly folded in annoyance.

“Ah, _ahjumma_ , do you need something with Taeyong?”

“Yes!” she shouted, pointing to his door. “He missed the pay for the 2nd time now!”

You bit your lip and nodded as if to sympathize with the older woman.

“Seems like he isn’t home, but I’ll tell you when he gets back.”

Her lips turned into a frown and her knitted brows didn’t bulge even the slightest bit. Her hands rested on her waist and when she seemed to be convinced with your statement, she grunted.

“Fine.”

And she left, stomping her way to the stairs.

You sighed and shook your head. To be honest, you don’t know what’s currently happening with your neighbor’s life, but you know that he’s involved in some shady things to not get the police involved. You never told anyone about that incident though, only you, Fish, and Taeyong knew.

You never got your sleep back to prepare for your graveyard shift again – and later that night, you decided to pass through the nearby convenience store to get some coffee to wake you up in your duty.

When you got out, not a few meters away from the store, as you walked into the part of the street with a broken streetlight, you felt an arm slung around your shoulder, and when you looked down there was a pocket knife pointing at your side. He was obviously taller than you, maybe a bit bulkier than Taeyong in built – and your body started to shake in fear.

“Give me your wallet and phone and I’ll let you live," you heard him hiss, the sharp edge of the knife was cold against your clothed side.

You could only nod weakly and when you were about to give him your bag – your heart beating rapidly and sweat began to form on your temples. Your mind is telling you to fight, kick him in the shin or elbow his face, but you were too scared to move even an in inch.

When you heard footsteps, not from your own or the man beside you, you prayed to whoever celestial being out there that to whoever these footsteps belong will help you.

And he did.

“Well, _you_ let her go,” a voice called from behind, and even though it sounded familiar you still couldn’t be relieved with the knife still pointed at you. “And _I’ll_ let you live.”

“Mind your own fucking business—” and when your assaulter turned around to see where the voice came from, a straight jab landed on his face. You took the opportunity to escape and run by your _savior’s_ side, and your eyes can’t help but form droplets of tears that threatened to fall.

You never noticed who it was when you ran, but when you looked up to the ash brown lump of hair and a familiar face, all the fear bubbling inside you was starting to disperse.

You noticed that Taeyong wasn’t alone, he was with two other men, one standing tall at around six feet tall, and the other not falling behind in terms of height. Meanwhile, Taeyong moved in front of you while the assaulter curled up in pain on the ground, and you can see blood coming out of his nose.

One of Taeyong’s _friend_ squatted and poked the man’s side when he tried to stand. “Is Taeyong’s punch really that hard? _Man,_ yesterday we just sparred and I didn’t react like this, right Jaehyun?”

_Jaehyun_ , the man slightly shorter than the one who squatted, just shrugged and inserted his hands inside the pockets of his coat. “You didn’t _hyung._ Maybe he’s just weak as fuck.”

“Lee Taeyong,” the man murmured in agony while he tried to stand, his hand trying to cover his face both in embarrassment and to prevent the blood from his nose from dripping further. Taeyong took a step forward and he limped backward. “Fuck you.”

You couldn’t see it but Taeyong’s eyes trained on the man’s figure with a predatory gaze, and even though he hasn’t said a word after he blew a punch on his face, you could feel the menacing aura that made him cower in fear.

“What should we do with him, _boss_?” The tall man stood and cracked his neck side ward and rolled his shoulders, as if ready to pounce on the guy on Taeyong’s orders.

Jaehyun almost did the same, except he cracked his knuckles instead.

“I’m still thinking of it, Johnny _hyung_.”

As if he sensed the incoming _danger_ coming his way, the man crammed up to run away from your group, leaving you all surprised for a few seconds. You let a deep breath out when the guy was out of your sight, but your knees are still weak from what happened.

If Taeyong and his friends didn’t come, you couldn’t imagine what will happen. Who will take care of Fish? Who would pay your rent? How will your colleagues know whose patients will you endorse?

_Endorsements, patients._

“Holy shit, my patients – I’m gonna be late!” You shrieked, your eyes widening when you look at the time.

Taeyong gripped your wrist lightly, his face very different from the hardened features he wore not a few minutes ago. “Seriously doc? You were almost on the bridge of life and death and you still think about work?”

You blinked a few times and freed yourself from his hold. “Seriously Taeyong?” You said, imitating his tone. “You could say the same about yourself – knocking on my door _on the bridge of life and death_ and you could still joke around last time?”

Johnny’s lips formed an ‘ooooh’ while Jaehyun’s eyes widened in amusement with his mouth agape. Someone actually did slam Taeyong – verbally, which was really rare within the gang since it’ll get back to them. You noticed the two trying to hold their giggles while your neighbor only looked at you with wide eyes.

After collecting himself, he glared at Johnny and Jaehyun and the two looked away in opposite directions.

“I’ll walk you to the hospital,” he offered, voice husky from the cold air. “Just tell ‘em you met some friend on the way and he was kinda clingy – the reason you’re late.”

You accepted the offer, and while it was a little embarrassing to have 3 guys escort you to the hospital, not to mention they were pretty much all good-looking, and you were really thankful to them as you felt safer walking with the company.

Of course, a lot of your nurse colleagues saw this, making you the hot center of teasing for the entire benign duty.

* * *

Fish was currently resting his head on your lap while you work on your case studies one morning on your off, papers scrawled on the floor along with piles of books on your coffee table. You were already on your second cup of coffee and as you were typing your observations –

“You haven’t paid for the past two months Lee Taeyong!” you heard the landlady scream which made you jump from your seat – the effects of caffeine kicking in. Fish also jumped in surprise when he felt your leg bounce, but nevertheless, he sensed no danger, so he went back to sleep.

You really wished that you could be in Fish’s place at least for today.

The elder lady’s voiced continued to roar from the outside, but you didn’t hear anything from your neighbor. Maybe he said something, but it was too soft beyond the walls to pass, or maybe he didn’t. You really hope he wouldn’t punch your landlady the same way he punched the assaulter from that night when he snapped.

The shouting lasted for at least ten minutes and when it stopped, you couldn’t help but pry, so you stood up, taking a _break_ for at least five minutes so you could at least ask how your neighbor was coping.

He was still by his door when you saw him, leaning onto its frame while his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows were furrowed, and you knew that this added up to his problems, and you’ll be honest to say that you took pity on him. You were still holding to your door, only half of your body out just to peek on him.

“Hey,” you whispered but loud enough for him to hear. “You okay?”

He was slightly startled when he heard your voice, but he pressed a small smile on his lips. “Never better doc.”

You nodded and bit your lip. Of course, he wasn’t okay. Who would be when you’re about to be kicked out of your home just because you couldn’t pay for it?

Fish followed you without you noticing but when he got out, instead of running away from you which you expected, he went straight to Taeyong and nudged his head on his denim pants. His tail was wagging and then he licked Taeyong’s hand.

Taeyong seemed to soften with your dog’s gestures and sat to his level when he started petting him, Fish licked his face and his eyes closed in reflex, but his nose was crinkling and then you heard him laugh softly.

“Hey buddy, that tickles.”

When you look at Taeyong this way, you realized how different he was from the Taeyong that saved you from that night. That Taeyong was menacing, simply his gaze was enough to scare the man away, his aura was dark and cold, and with the way his companions addressed him – how Jaehyun and Johnny acted around his presence, you could compare that Taeyong to a lion – the leader of a pack.

But the Taeyong in front of you now, his calloused hands rubbing the head and scratching the sides of Fish, his eyes soft while curved upwards, and a genuine, wide smile plastered on his lips – the Taeyong in front of you now is a kitten.

You walked towards their direction and sat like Taeyong did, rubbing Fish’s back as well. Fish obviously loved the attention and rolled over to lay on his back, wanting more and belly rubs, of course.

“Alright there, bud,” Taeyong said and stood up, opening the door to his apartment. “We can’t pet you here, it’s fucking cold and we’ll all get sick. Come in.”

Fish complied fast enough and entered his apartment which made you wonder if you were really his owner – to which Taeyong laughed at your amused reaction. He reached out his hand to yours and you accepted, standing up and you took note of how rough his hand felt against yours.

He let you enter first and to your surprise, it was pretty much normal, except for the knives resting on top of his coffee table. You were pretty sure that they weren’t used for the kitchen, it was the same type of knife the assaulter had from that night.

“Guess hiding that won’t do much,” he chuckled while shrugging, and he put his coat down on his couch while Fish excitedly circled himself around your neighbor. “Sit down doc, I’ll make us some hot choco.”

“Oh no, thank you—”

“I’d still make it,” and he was already by his kitchen, setting the pot over the stove to boil some water. While waiting he went over to the couch and sat, gesturing for you to take a sit as well. You did, and Fish sat down next to yours, but on the floor. His tail still wagged expectantly while he looks to you, and you couldn’t resist those doe eyes and started rubbing his head.

Taeyong watched the exchange in amusement, leaning forward and placed his elbows on his knees while he observed you – there were twinkles in your eyes every time you coo Fish’s name, and the soft giggles coming from your soft lips were melodious to his ears. He remembered how soft your hands felt when he dragged you inside, and the look of concern painted on your features when you were treating his wounds that evening, as well as how you looked at him earlier with sadness in your eyes when the landlady scolded him.

How could someone care so much, even if they are complete strangers and worlds apart?

“Taeyong?”

The sound of your voice broke his thoughts and he blinked, tilting his head while looking at you questioningly.

“The water’s boiling – it’s been whistling for almost a minute now,” you chuckled, noticing how he just broke himself from spacing out.

“Oh, yeah, okay,” he stuttered, springing back on his feet and walked to the kitchen counter to make the hot chocolates.

The tinkling of the spoon as he stirred the drinks were the only noises heard for a moment, and Fish settled down on the floor, using your foot as his pillow with the relaxing silence. Taeyong returned to the couch and placed two mugs of hot chocolate on his coffee table, sliding one in your direction. You nodded and smiled when you held the mug in your hands, warming your skin with the heat it radiates.

The silence of comfortable as you both enjoy the drinks he made. You really wanted to say something though, especially talk to him about his rent, but you figured it was a sensitive topic for him to talk about.

“I’ll be fine,” he said as if he was reading your thoughts. “I’m just a little short this month, but I can pay that shit in no time. Those bastards just haven’t paid me yet so.”

He placed his mug down and ran his hand through his ash brown tresses. “Why am I explaining to you, holy shit,” he laughed.

“I mean, what’s wrong with that?” You asked confusingly, and you placed your mug down as well and gently placed your hand on his shoulder. “We’re friends and neighbors, so that’s natural.”

“Why are you so kind?” he shook his head but the wide grin on his lips never disappeared. “I’m just a rascal loitering around while you go there on that white coat of yours saving lives like mine. It’s fucking amazing.”

“Eh,” you got your mug again and took a sip, emptying its contents. “It’s actually tiring.”

“Well, at least you’re doing good stuff while getting tired. I get tired doing the complete opposite,” he laughed.

“To be honest, I was surprised you didn’t land one on _ahjumma_ nor raised a voice at her earlier,” you chuckled along with him.

“Ah, you gotta respect women y’know? Is what my mom told me a hundred times.”

You didn’t know what to answer anymore but one thing’s for sure, Taeyong wasn’t as bad as you thought. Maybe what he does is, but you know that deep inside, he _is_ a nice person.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” you looked at him with interest. “I don’t exactly know what time or day you’re here, but when I’m in the hospital and working and you’re here, can you baby sit Fish for me?”

He looked at you incredulously, but he wasn’t saying a word.

“My heart and mind will be cleared when I know someone is watching over him, eating his actual food instead of my slippers, stuff like that?” you continued. “I’ll pay you, I promise. I’ll also give you the key to my apartment in case…”

His eyes never left yours even when you finished, but just seconds after he burst a hearty laugh. You don’t exactly know what’s funny with what you said but his laugh is contagious, causing you to emit a soft giggle as well.

“Alright doc,” he said, wiping a tear from laughter from the side of his eye. “You’re funny and I like Fish, and you said you’ll pay me, so of course, I’d took the bait.”

You mirrored the grin on his face, your eyes curving upwards in delight. “Thank you, Taeyong.”

* * *

Two weeks had passed and Taeyong lived up to your deal – he took care of Fish while you were on duty, let him stay on his apartment. He also had paid for his rent with a little of it coming from your pay to him along with that guy paying his debt.

You also spent a lot of your free days with him, sometimes just hanging out in his apartment or yours, and sometimes even helping you out in your case studies by making your coffee and keeping you sane with the company. In those times, you both shared a lot about yourselves, like you learned that he liked no music genre, it’s mostly influenced by his _friends_. NCT, the gang that he’s in, has no leader honestly, but the members treat him like one, so he acts like one.

Currently, you shared your schedules with him, so every time you’re on graveyard duty, he promised to walk with you to the hospital which you are grateful for.

Everything seemed to be back to normal until one night, you saw Johnny peeking through your door quite frantically, knocking a few times and calling out to your empty apartment.

“Is there something you need?” You spoke, and his gaze followed the direction of your voice. He exhaled deeply when he saw your figure and walked, towering over your frame when he stood.

“Hey, you’re (Y/N), right?”

You nodded and furrowed your eyebrows. “Yeah, I am. You’re with Taeyong, right? Do you need anything?”

“Technically, it isn’t me who needs something,” he shrugged. “It’s Taeyong.”

Your hand opened your door fully and worry started painting your features. “Why? Where is he? Is he okay?”

“Uh,” the taller man bit his lip, scratching his head as if he didn’t know what to tell you. “Just…just come inside, yeah?”

You nodded and hurriedly went inside Taeyong’s apartment, with the tall guy followed suit. Inside was also the other guy that was with him that night, Jaehyun, as you remember, standing up from the smaller couch on the side when he saw you. He nodded but he looked at you blankly, and when your eyes trained to where you and Taeyong shared the hot chocolate, you saw him lying on it, his eyes closed but he was wincing.

Fish was by his side, licking his face but when he noticed your presence, he immediately jumped to your side, bumping Taeyong in the process to which he grunted. Your dog tried to get your attention but all of it was focused on Taeyong right now, observing the black eye around his left optic areas and a bright red bruise on the side of his lips, the former covered with an ice pack over it.

“He was walking your dog when this small group of our rival noticed him,” Jaehyun explained. “Glad we were meeting up with him so those shits ran when they saw us, but Taeyong _hyung_ ’s already been blown.”

“Funny though, he was hugging your dog,” Johnny added. “It was cute at first but—”

Taeyong glared at Johnny as if his life was on the line if he finished his sentence.

Johnny stopped midway when he met Taeyong’s gaze. “We already did some first aid like the usual, it wasn’t a serious beating tho—”

“Not a serious beating?” You rolled your eyes at Jaehyun and returned your gaze back to Taeyong. There was a small smile forming on his lips and peeked through half-lidded eyes.

“(Y/N), calm down,” Taeyong chuckled hoarsely. “At least Fish is okay.”

“Lee Taeyong, I swear—”

“This ain’t as bad as that night, _I swear_ ,” he sat up slowly and Jaehyun came by his side to help him. One hand held the ice pack to keep it in place, while his other placed gently onto yours. He nodded to Jaehyun and Johnny and they seemed to get the message and left the two of you alone.

The smile that etched his lips remained when he looked at you. Your eyes were still furrowed as you looked at him. His index finger poked your forehead and chuckled. You looked so god damn cute even you’re worried like this.

“I’m fine doc,” he said. He placed the ice pack on the table and slowly, his head leaning towards yours with your foreheads bumping.

“You don’t have to worry,” he said, and although the black eye you’re staring into right now told you otherwise, there is this gut feeling inside that you can trust to what he said.

“Fine,” you grumbled, closing your eyes in relaxation, and at this point, your noses bumped together. His hands cupped the side of your cheeks, slowly…slowly waiting for his lips to descend upon yours –

But Fish had other ideas and snooped his snout in the small distance between you and Taeyong, which caused you to separate from him. Taeyong laughed awkwardly and so did you, and Fish seemed to notice your happiness and licked your face. Your nose scrunched up when he did and Taeyong’s laughs turned genuine, hugging your dog’s backside while lightly patting it.

“Ah, Fish!” He pulled him over, causing your dog and Taeyong to roll on the floor. “Why do you have to do that?!”

You giggled and decided to join them on the floor.

* * *

“God damn it,” Johnny sighed, lightning a cigarette up as he leaned by Taeyong’s door frame. “You think we should leave?”

Jaehyun shrugged, not even looking up from his phone. “They’re laughing their assess off, so I guess?”

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posting my fics from tumblr!
> 
> tumblr: icedcappujaeno


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